A Conversation with Moms & ... Podcast Creators, Susanne Kerns and Missy Stevens

Susanne Kerns is a podcaster and humor writer living in Austin, Texas with her husband and two children. Her work has been featured in Scary Mommy, Redbook, Today Parents and several parenting anthologies, including the NYT bestselling I Just Want to Pee Alone series. She co-produced, and performed in, the "Listen to Your Mother" show in Austin, Texas. She's currently writing her first non-fiction book to help other women to deal with the identity crisis that can come with giving up your career to become a stay-at-home mom. She co-hosts the Mom & ... Podcast with Missy Stevens, which also focuses on helping moms define themselves outside of "mom." In 2017, she started the group, "Informed Parents of Austin," to advocate for LGBTQIA+ students, families and staff in her school district.

Susanne uses her "privilege of safety" to be the megaphone for children in the LGBTQIA+ community, as well as for their parents. When people do not feel safe enough to speak, Susanne volunteers to speak for them. Her efforts have paid off. For example, her local school district will be teaching an inclusive, science-backed sex education program this term. Susanne works hard to use her core values to inform her life decisions.

Missy Stevens is a writer, foster child advocate and podcaster. Her past life includes stints as a corporate community relations manager and non-profit communications writer. These days, Missy is an aspiring novelist, slowly working on endless revisions of her first manuscript. Her work has been featured in local and national online publications, as well as in the stage production, "Listen to Your Mother." Missy, a native Austinite, lives with her husband, two sons, two dogs and "too many plants. Just kidding. There is no such thing as too many plants."

Missy admonishes listeners to not wait to do what you want to do. At-home moms can start before their children leave home to hone their skills or build new ones. She uses her considerable skills as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) to help children who cannot speak for themselves. It is emotional work, and Missy understands that she cannot take care of herself or others without proper sleep and rest. "I can't do what really matters to me if I don't take rest time. I unpacked a lot of guilt over that." Missy--and we--are better off when we practice self-care.

These two women are inspiring and insightful each week on their fantastic Mom & ... Podcast. Learn more at https://momandpodcast.com/. Here are links to some things mentioned during the episode:

Listen to Your Mother (LTYM) Show: https://listentoyourmothershow.com/

Susanne's LTYM performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCd92XF-0kU&list=PL5oPQWgVdsDk53yC_eChWcMyA0NFXwix2

Missy's LTYM performance: https://youtu.be/FSxjHKH69-o

Ann Imig's new coaching site: https://listenlifecoaching.com/

Informed Parents of Austin: http://informedparentsofaustin.com/

Jen Mann of "I Just Want to Pee Alone": https://www.facebook.com/peopleiwanttopunchinthethroat & https://www.facebook.com/IJustWantToPeeAlone - Our podcast episode discussing her new "Midlife Bites" book is here: https://momandpodcast.com/midlife-bites-jen-mann/